We talk to GIRLBAND! on the cusp of their debut album launch

Hello, how are you?

We’re good, thank you!

Now, we know you pretty well! But for those who’ve not heard or seen you before, how would you describe the band? 

Jada: We are very raw and straight to the point. Heavy, energy…

Kay: I was thinking just ‘energy’.

Jada: Yeah, big energy… quite raw, alternative, female trio.

What do GIRLBAND! stand for?

Jada: Women of power! We stand for everything, especially how all three of us are very unique … We all uniquely have personalities that empower women in many different ways.

Kay: We'd like to think that it’s very inclusive for everybody. I'm not comparing us to the Spice Girls in any way, but you know how it was like a Spice Girl for every spice – we're all different seasonings.

You got together in 2022, here in Nottingham. Over the past four-and-a-half years, what part would you say our city has played in your development as a band?

Georgie: Oh man, so much. I mean, so, so much… I first started playing on the Nottingham scene when I was, like, 15 or 16, so I don't think I'd count how many gigs I've done here. And, you know, from that to then GIRLBAND! and headline shows at Rescue Rooms – we’ve had some real special moments. Things like Hockley Hustle and Dot To Dot. It's been so integral for the band, I think, but just as musicians, and I think for a lot of people, it's such a beautiful scene. And it's such a charming scene as well. There's something really special about it, and there's so many incredible musicians.

Kay: I think growing up in Nottingham, we've been very lucky. There's always been lots of creative spaces to get involved in. Jada and I, we met at Russell Youth Club in St. Ann's. Obviously, we used to have places like The Maze – that was always such a starting point for any musician wanting to start out. Will from I'm Not From London; obviously, LeftLion; there's Parisa running Acoustickle; Adam Pickering … All these amazing people that just are passionate and do what they do, and it's created this amazing scene. 

Jada: It’s a very safe space as well. It’s not a space where you have to think twice before being involved in the community of Nottingham. It's very safe for anyone, any shape, size, who you are, you are welcome to try and grow within music, and there are so many leaders out there willing to pull people together and to build that community more.

Georgie: It's funny because sometimes you meet people from Nottingham, and there's an instant connection, So, yeah, it's a lovely community. 

It feels like you’ve been very busy in 2026, with a lot going on …

Kay: Yeah, obviously, a lot of work's gone into the album and we had an incredible opportunity this summer. We went on tour with Sting across Europe, and that was surreal for us because, you know, being a three-piece, we were very much inspired by The Police.

We also played Hockley Hustle a few weeks ago, and that was a magical gig. Because, you know, you go away and travel far, and when you're not playing in your hometown for a long time you don't know how your music will still be received. You don't even know if people are going to show up to watch you play. So it was really nice to come back and just have a lot of love and a lot of support.

You’re a very experienced live band – you’ve played hundreds of gigs in your time...

Kay: Yeah, we’ve definitely spent most of our career living on the road. We wanted to just be a live band and a touring band.

How do you approach your live shows, and how do you keep up that energy you mentioned earlier?

Jada: It used to be a tequila shot and we do some jumping up and down with nerves, and then … ‘OK, let's go on stage. See you on the other side!’

We're always full of excitement, and we actually can't wait to get on the stage. I don't know if that's to kind of rush away the nerves or is it actually to play in front of the crowd. And then we have a lot of joy playing with each other as well.

Kay: I wouldn't say that we meet up loads and rehearse these days, I think because we have just been constantly on the road. So I think, you know, if there's been a bit of a break between shows, there's definitely that energy and that magic when we come back together. 

The new album comes out very very soon. What’s behind it? How did it come about?

Kay: Well, a lot of the songs that are on the album, a lot of them have been with us from the beginning … they've lived their own life, on the road. So it's really nice to kind of capture that and have it down on record finally. And then there's new songs that are yet to be played live. 

We actually recorded the album at Fisher Gate Point. Georgie and our manager, Jason, they literally both moved their home studios into Fisher Gate Point. And they had food as well. There was a really good chef at the time down at Fisher Gate Point, so we were just getting breakfast every day. And coffees, beers…

We had a lot of belief in Georgie as a producer and I'm really glad that she ended up taking that on herself and being like, ‘Yeah, we're going to self-produce this.’ I like that we did it in a DIY way.

What do you most want people to take from the album?

Georgie: I think the album is very much about finding sense in a very chaotic world, as a young person, and from personal experience of discovering that. I think people find solace that actually everything will be okay. And you have to try and muddle your way through it, and have fun while doing that. I think that's probably the most important message. And, the sense of community and coming together and the freedom that that brings, really.

Jada: That experiences in life can be put into a song, and that can give a greater understanding that you can also smile through the struggles and imperfections. Obviously you can smile through the great times, but also through the struggles.’All My Friends’ is a great example of how great music can be expressed.

A lot of the songs kind of have, like, a young energy, like a bit of a coming of age energy.

Do you have a personal favourite moment from the album?

Georgie: To be honest with you, I'm really proud of all of it. There's moments in all the songs that I really love, and there's not one moment that I'm unhappy with. I think the album does what I always wanted this record to do.

As a producer and songwriter, you analyse stuff so much to the very bare threads of a song. And then it's not until you listen to it back and you can let it exist and listen to it for what it is.

The first time I did that, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, there's not a moment where, um, not, I'm just proud of the whole thing, to be honest.

Finally, what are you most excited about going into 2027?

Georgie: I think the thing about being a musician is you're walking on such a tightrope of spontaneity – it's so spontaneous and chaotic that you don't know what's coming next, in a sense. But I find that quite exciting. We've been touring for four years, so just being able to have something that lives in the world and people can buy a physical copy of … we can play the songs, and it feels a lot more like real, you know. In some ways, hopefully people take us a bit more seriously because there's an actual living product out there.

So I think that, for me, moving into the New Year is what excites me the most. And seeing what comes next, you know. Album two, who knows? 

@girlbandhq

GIRLBAND!’s debut, eponymous album is released on 13 November 2026. The band are playing their first run of intimate in-store shows on the same day, including Nottingham’s Rough Trade on Monday, 16 November. More details at girlbandhq.com